In reality, the friend who always answers our calls, the barista who doubles as our therapist, and the co-worker who invited us out during our first crushingly lonely week in a new city can feel as much like our family as the clan we’re born into.

Balancing a composition involves arranging both positive elements and negative space in such a way that no one area of the design overpowers other areas. Everything works together and fits together in a seamless whole. The individual parts contribute to their sum but don’t try to become the sum.

These people aren’t assigned to us, but chosen by us—and isn’t that as worthy of celebration as any confluence of fate and genetics? These carefully selected families continue to grow throughout our lives without a ticking sociological to worry about.

Nowadays, a family is simply a network of people who care for each other. It can contain hundreds or two. You can be born into one or build your own. Membership can be gained through genetics, friendship, geographic proximity, work or a shared appreciation.

In our current society, real family values have nothing to do with where we live or how we know each other—they’re about how we treat each other. Now there’s a concept worthy of a cheesy half hour of television.

Assuming you were both about the same size, you were able to easily balance on the seesaw. The following image appears to be in balance, with two equally sized people equally distant from the fulcrum on which the seesaw balances.

Ever wondered if your lack of artistic ability was due to your parents’ mathematical-minded genetics or their refusal to sign you up for after-school art classes? Or how your friend was a piano prodigy despite her dad barely being able to play a note?

Some believe that hereditary factors are responsible for one family producing generations of musical virtuosos, while others suggest that our cultural and environmental surroundings play a larger role than genetics.

Human nature is a broad term that encompasses many qualities. Creativity is less a general or amorphous quality and more a very specific capacity to exercise a specific set of skills. Is everyone born with the potential to develop these skills?

It’s true that in some environments, the practice of creative skills isn’t encouraged and may be actively discouraged. In some places, schools may present such environments.If parents can provide more opportunities for this, that would help.

The literature on creativity suggests that there are at least a few personality traits that promote creative behavior, such as openness, a willingness to take risks and an ability to tolerate ambiguity and cope with novel situations.

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These people aren’t assigned to us, but chosen by us—and isn’t that as worthy of celebration as any confluence of fate and genetics? These carefully selected families continue to grow throughout our lives without a ticking sociological to worry about.

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